Of the many innovations within the field of residential real estate, few are as promising -- and genuinely new -- as the rise in popularity of alternative currencies. More specifically, the acceptance by merchants, vendors and entrepreneurs of Bitcoin as a form of payment, the global success and legitimacy of this peer-to-peer currency by retailers (including Overstock.com) and business owners proves the point: That it is a matter of time, and a short one at that, until landlords, bankers, real estate agents and leasing companies allow tenants and clients to make payments -- or issue commissions -- in Bitcoin, instead of dollars and other forms of fiat money.

This opportunity is an exciting one for many reasons, chief among them, the freedom for property owners to have a legitimate hedge against the arbitrary policies of the Federal Reserve and the eventual fallout from actions with no claim to fiscal support.

For, in such an environment, divorced from the masquerade of "quantitative easing" and the purposeful suppression of interest rates at artificially low levels, no currency would be a proxy for government power. Indeed, no currency would be a tool for agendas -- both personal and political -- where the reply from executives is one of hesitancy, the response among homeowners is collective amnesia (about the last boom-and-bust), and the reaction from stock traders is a combination of mania and depression.

In other words, this place of marble pillars and uncrowned rulers -- in this seemingly fantastical but real world of fiat money, in which we entrust God to vouchsafe the value of greenbacks and copper coins -- the news is out: A dollar is not worth, well, a dollar. All of which explains the sustained demand for a mathematically sound and internationally recognized alternative currency, Bitcoin, free from infinite mining or the untested theories of politicians-disguised-as-economists.

The success of Bitcoin is, in fact, the reason for its entry into mainstream commerce. Nowhere is that statement more valid than among the professionals in the real estate industry, the ones whom I speak to and receive queries from, where the interest in this currency is keen.

That demand is, in part, responsible for a forthcoming technological renaissance in residential realty; matched by a series of distinctive companies, all of them incubated by a group of distinguished investors, which will make Bitcoin the coin of the realm, so to speak.

Incubation and Transformation: The Reality of Bitcoin for Real Estate Professionals

One firm with an eye towards actualizing these goals is Seedcoin, the world's first virtual incubator for Bitcoin-based businesses. (Full disclosure: I have had the privilege of corresponding and talking with Eddy Travia, Seedcoin's Co-founder and Chief Startup Officer. He has a great talent for making the issues involving alternative currencies -- and the entrepreneurs developing the platforms, applications and wallets for Bitcoin -- intelligible. And, while there are matters to resolve and additional points to address concerning the union between this currency and the real estate industry, I invite readers to learn more about the innovation already underway from Seedcoin.)

I encourage real estate agents -- and their clients, too -- to learn more about Seedcoin because, independent of the temporary challenges that may exist in this industry, there will be some degree of acceptance (however modest, initially) for the use of Bitcoin as a method of payment among landlords, tenants, lenders and other actors. Look to the (near) future, therefore, because this bond of technology and finance will impact a diverse array of businesses.

For example: Just as mobile devices, smartphones and tablets, continue to change behavior, influencing how we reach one another (via text, instant message, email or even calls); just as these resources revolutionize personal communications, there is a corresponding transformation in the way professionals -- real estate agents, included -- market their skills in this situation, forgoing print advertisements and billboards for social media and interactive, real-time contact with prospective customers.

And, just as the companies within Seedcoin's portfolio of investments are at the forefront of pioneering work in Europe, Asia and the Americas, I believe real estate agents and executives would be wise to educate themselves about these individual brands because, on principle alone, these businesses offer a snapshot into products and services that will affect us all.

In fact, BitPremier, a Bitcoin-only luxury marketplace, represents the largest reported transaction to date with this currency; its sale of deLMango Villa Estate in Bali, Indonesia, proves that the demand exists -- and the purchase itself confirms -- that Bitcoin has a role to play, a potentially significant one, in the real estate industry.

News of this kind is positive, no doubt, but for Bitcoin to have a disruptive effect -- for it to become a transcendent currency among the various leaders in this particular category -- it must be both a medium for investment and a source of revenue.

Investing in a property with Bitcoin is one thing, but the proposition is more attractive when there is a tenant who will pay rent in Bitcoin. Otherwise, there is a risk for a lower return (in Bitcoin) as soon as the US-Dollar-Bitcoin (USD/BTC) rate increases.

As acceptance for Bitcoin expands, and as more loans and rents assume this form of currency, the number of investors with an interest in real estate -- who also have a desire to conduct deals in Bitcoin -- will broaden.

The convergence of these factors is neither unreasonable nor premature. Knowledge is the great engine in this movement, fueled by creativity and economic credibility. With such a diverse collection of investors, entrepreneurs and institutions, the accord between Bitcoin and real estate is undeniably possible, and (with some additional advances) increasingly probable.

Hayden Gill is the Founder of Buzzdron Media, an innovative digital marketing and design agency. An expert concerning the use of bitcoins for online transactions and ecommerce, Hayden can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.